Sports
NPL: Pillars Keep Pressure On Rangers
Kano Pillars moved level on 58 points with Rangers at the top of the Nigeria Premier League at the last weekend.
Pillars claimed a 2-1 win over Dolphins while Rangers were going down 0-1 to arch rivals 3SC in Ibadan, but the Flying Antelopes keep hold of top spot by virtue of a superior goals difference.
Mustapha Musa put Pillars in front after 34 minutes. Emem Edok found parity for Dolphins three minutes into the second half, before Pillars’ highest goal scorer, Gambo Mohammed secured the points just shy of the hour mark.
Mohammed’s goal takes his tally to 12 for the season.
Pillars and Rangers are now both on 58 points but the Flying Antelopes maintain the top spot on a goal difference.
In the big game of the weekend, Rangers travelled to Ibadan to confront age-long rivals 3SC in front of a full house at the Lekan Salami Stadium.
But they were turned back empty-handed. Moses Ogaga’s goal after 26 minute goal proved sufficient to hand the Oluyole Warriors all three points.
The result caps a remarkable revival for 3SC, moving them within five points of the leaders, in a season where they found themselves contemplating life in the drop zone early in the campaign.
Lobi’s late push for the title gathered pace with a 2-0 win over Niger Tornadoes, taking them to 57 points, just one point behind Rangers and Pillars, with a game in hand.
A thrilling, if goalless first half was followed by two goals in the second. Goalkeeper John Lawrence put away a penalty 10 minutes after the break, and substitute Blessing Okardi made sure on 72 minutes.
In Bauchi, Wikki Tourists beat Gombe United 3-1 at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium.
Wikki were in front as early as three minutes through Bilya Mohammed, but had to wait another 52 minutes for Ikechukwu Ikembri to add the second. Austin Ufoma reduced the arrears for Gombe in the 88th minute, but Wale Amusa snuffed out any hopes of a comeback on the stroke of time.
In Port Harcourt, Sharks advanced their continental ambitions with a 2-0 win over Heartland.
Amakiri George tapped in after good work from Nigeria international Juwon Oshaniwa.
ThankGod Amaefule tucked away a disputed penalty on the hour mark to seal victory.
Sunshine Stars got a shock 2-1 away win at Warri Wolves in a match played behind closed doors.
Goals from Dayo Ojo and Izu Azuka ensured the CAF Champions League campaigners took an unassailable lead.
Gift Atulewa converted a penalty for Warri Wolves, but the home side could not salvage the situation. The win lifts Sunshine to fifth place with 52 points, and a game in hand.
England captain Harry Kane netted a hat-trick to guide Bayern Munich to an impressive victory against Stuttgart.
Kane’s goals, plus one from Kingsley Coman, helped Bayern end a three-game winless run in all competitions.
They faced a tough task against a Stuttgart side who sat back and limited their chances, leading Vincent Kompany’s side to enter the break frustrated and with the deadlock unbroken.
Bayern eventually found a way past Stuttgart’s steely defence when Kane drilled a low effort into the bottom corner from around 30 yards out after Joshua Kimmich overturned possession.
Former Nigeria goalkeeper, Dosu Joseph, is full of thanks to God after he miraculously survived another life-threatening automobile accident recent at Kara, along the Lagos-Ibadan Express Way, where a heavy-duty truck ran into his SUV.
Narrating his ordeal, the 51-year-old, who guided Nigeria to gold in the Men’s Football Tournament of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, broke the news in a statement on his social media handles on Friday.
“To God be the glory, another death escaped by Grace and Mercy of God. Me and my friend SM were at Enyo Filling Station after Ojodu Berger bus stop to get fuel on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, around 6 p.m. when this MACK truck fully loaded with iron, with registration number LND 470 XX, left the road and crushed my car beyond repairs. Thank God for life,” he stated.
This is the second time the soft-spoken club proprietor will cheat death by a whisker, having been involved in an accident in 1997 that ended his career at 23 and left his spinal cord in bad shape.
He helped Julius Berger win the Nigeria FA Cup in November 1997 shortly a memorable Olympic outing by keeping a clean sheet in the finals against Katsina United. The following year, he was involved in the auto along Ikorodu Road, Lagos, which not only cut his career short but also left him almost paralysed, ending his spell at Serie A club Reggiana.
The former Nigeria international, who also kept goal for Julius Berger FC, said the case has been reported to Isheri Police Station, Ogun State, where the driver is currently detained and the truck also seized.
According to him, the owner of the truck said he can’t fix the badly damaged SUV until after a year.
Ex – Super Eagles of Nigeria, Okwuchukwu Waobikeze has observed that sports development in Nigeria is going down.
According to him, grassroots sports is very important, without it, the administrators cannot get it right. So everybody should key into grassroots sports development, he said.
Waobikeze said this last Wednesday in an interview with sports journalists shortly after the Port Harcourt All Stars Independence football festival (OCTOBERFEST) at the Port Harcourt club, Rivers State.
He explained that for sports administrators to get it right, grassroots development is key. “They should be organising competition at the grassroots level to fish out the young ones for different sporting activities.
“Grassroots sports is very important so the administrators have to go back to the grassroots.
” Sports Development in Nigeria is going down we need to go back to the basics.
“Look at the just concluded Paris Olympics, Nigeria did not win any medal.
” Our football team did not even qualify for the Olympics. We are going down.
” If they should go back to the grassroots, they will get young ones in the games and talents will be developed.
” I started from school games, to youth games before playing for the national team. Now everybody wants to fly board to play professional football and a lot do not know the basics of the game.
” A lot of people did not know the little things about the game, they just want to play. It is not done so,” Waobikeze stated.
Kiadum Edookor
